Flight Lessons
by futureauthor13
Summary: Post Blood Lines. It has been a few months since Johnny became a vampire, but he still can't seem to turn into a bat, never mind actually flying! But maybe if he had a teacher to help, and who's a better teacher than the great Count Dracula? Oneshot.


**This has been a long time in the making, and I'm finally getting around to writing it (blame school and my own laziness). Anyway, hope you all enjoy!**

March clouds surrounded the land, lightly covering the castle in a light rain and blocking out the nighttime stars. Most of the guests were either asleep or doing a usual rainy day activity like reading or relaxing. But in a room on the fifth floor, one monster was wide awake.

"Okay, one more time. You can do this, dude!" He squeezed his eyes and concentrated hard. 'Change... change...!' At one point he was concentrating so hard, his entire body was clenched and he nearly forgot to breath! But, he could feel his body changing little by little, which made him hold on a little more. It was like trying to touch the bottom of a deep swimming pool, but only when you're nearly there does the pressure start to get to you and your lungs feel like they are about to collapse. You try to hold on a little longer but you can only last a couple more seconds.

Johnny released the breath he was holding and let his body relax. Opening his eyes, he looked down at his body. Same old arms and legs, clothes, no wings or fur. Sighing, the redhead fell backwards onto his bed. "Really thought I had it that time," he said, wiping a bit of sweat off his face. That was his fifth attempt that day (he had lost count of how many total times he had tried).

But Johnny wasn't one to stay depressed about something for too long. So, while he took a small break, Johnny decided to have a small snack too. "I should have something in here, somewhere..." he said, digging in his backpack. He didn't really like bothering the kitchen with room service, and there was also the fact that Quasi still didn't really 'appreciate' him staying at the hotel. "I think I remember buying an emergency snack. Wait, yes!"

He pulled out a wrapped 'Butterfinger' candy bar, slightly smashed but still perfectly edible. Munching away, Johnny let his thoughts start to wander. Even though it was raining, he longed to have the ability to just jump out the window and fly around the hotel. He could still remember almost two years ago flying on the floating tables for the first time. What a rush! Flying - especially when it's outside a plane and you can go as fast or do as many tricks as you can - was the ultimate thrill in his eyes. All of that combined with the fact that he would be able to share this thrill with his fiancee was more than enough motivation to get Johnny to quickly gobble up the rest of his candy bar and get ready to try again.

'Maybe I just need to jump for it,' he thought. Of course Dracula and Mavis never had to, but they had been vampires all their lives, they had transforming and flying mastered. For him, maybe he just needed a jump start, at least for the first few times he transformed. Johnny remembered landing flat on his face the first time he tried this.

'But that was months ago,' Johnny thought to himself, 'I actually have some of my powers now.' Johnny moved to the edge of his bed and slowly stood up. Closing his eyes, he started to concentrate on turning into a bat. This time, it was going to work! 'Okay, one, two, three and-!'

Meanwhile outside in the hallway, Dracula was making his rounds. There had been a couple leaks in the ceiling spotted and while they had been fixed, the vampire wanted to make sure none had started opening up again. Besides, what else did he have to do? But as he walked past a certain door, he heard a loud thought that made him stop and look back at the door. 'Jonathan's room,' he thought as he knocked on the door.

"Uh, come in!"

Dracula opened the door and saw Johnny sitting on the floor. "Oh, hey Drac! What's up?"

"Uh, I heard a thud," Dracula replied, looking at the young man curiously, "What were you doing?"

"Oh, you know just... trying to turn into a bat." Drac couldn't help but roll his eyes. "I know I know, it's something I won't learn for a while, but it doesn't hurt to practice right?"

"I suppose not," the elder vampire said, sitting on the end of Johnny's bed, "But it would be easier if you just be patient and wait to get the ability instead of just throwing yourself off beds. You're not on a time limit you know."

"Yeah, but I still want to be able to do it already," Johnny replied, looking up at Dracula, "I mean, I already have other powers!"

A couple weeks after turning was when Johnny began to get the first of his powers. Strength came first, then speed. Johnny was so thrilled he was constantly trying to see what he could do with his new abilities. A couple weeks later, Johnny was able to walk on walls and ceilings, and for the first few days, he was hardly ever on the floor. It always made Mavis laugh to come into her hotel room and see her boyfriend casually hang upside down (and she would usually join him).

Just about a month ago - around Valentine's Day - was when Johnny got his most recent ability. He had gone to the buffet to get more food, and on the way back to the table he had tripped. But just a couple inches before the plate hit the ground, it had just stopped. Johnny had managed to use telekinesis to stop the plate. Unfortunately, Johnny was so excited that he lost focus and the plate fell anyway. But even so, he was just happy to have a new power, which Mavis taught him how to use over the next week. It wasn't as strong as hers or Dracula's, but he was still able to use telekinesis.

"I've told you before, it's a power that takes a while to get," Dracula repeated.

"But isn't there a way to speed the process up?" Johnny asked, "At least give me some tips so when I do finally get the power to change and fly, I'm ahead of the game."

Dracula thought for a moment. He didn't have any other plans, and he knew Johnny was anxious to learn. 'Why not?' he thought, shrugging his shoulders. "Alright, I suppose I can give you a couple tips."

"Great!" Johnny shouted, grinning, "So, what's my first lesson?"

"First, just relax."

Johnny blinked and then smirked. "Aren't we the ones usually saying that to you?" Dracula gave him a look and Johnny quickly looked away. He took a deep breath and then released it, letting his body relax.

"Good. Transforming takes concentration, but you can't just force it. It's more thought than physical. Why do you think it looks like it takes little effort whenever I transform?"

"Because you've been doing it for a couple thousand years and pretty much have it down?"

Dracula glared at him slightly. "I am only one thousand one hundred and sixty, for your information." Johnny quickly mumbled an apology. "As I was saying, changing into a bat only takes a small but strong amount of concentration, but your body needs to be relaxed and free so you_ can_ change. And as for jumping to change, that only works if already know how to change."

"Like baby birds!" Dracula looked at him. "I mean, the mom bird pushes them out of the nest, but that's after they've gotten their feathers and learned how to flap and they've hovered a little."

The older vampire smiled slightly. "Exactly."

"Can I try it now?" Johnny asked.

Again, Dracula shrugged his shoulders. "Well, you can if you'd like, but just because I've told you how it works doesn't mean-" Johnny wasn't even listening anymore, instead he was sitting on his bed with his eyes closed.

'Oh well, no point in trying to stop him,' he thought, watching Johnny. He could tell the former human was deep in thought. "Just think about being a bat. Picture it, and then let your body copy that picture."

"Right, got it," Johnny mumbled, his eyes still closed. Drac could hear him taking deep breaths to relax himself, but his face never faltered. After a few seconds, purple smoke started to form around Johnny and his body started to shrink. The transformation only took a couple seconds, but to Johnny it felt a bit longer. His mind was spinning a bit and his body felt so different, unfamiliar.

Slowly opening his eyes, Johnny let out a slight gasp. He was covered in fur, and his feet were nothing more than tiny claws. Stretching out his arms, he could see flaps of skin attached to them. Wings! He had wings! "Oh my gosh! Drac! Drac it worked!" he shouted, turning to look at the smiling vampire.

"I'm just as surprised as you are," Drac commented, "maybe you did just need a little help." Johnny's bat form wasn't too different from his or Mavis'. His fur was brown, not too dark but not real light either. Like Drac, his eyes in bat form were red, and his wild hair was just a small tuff of fur on the top of his head.

"Aw man, I really wish vampires could look in the mirror," Johnny said, looking at himself, "I mean, this is just so cool!" Once he had gotten a good look at himself, he tried out his new wings. At first, he flapped them just to get used to the feeling and then he flapped faster, trying to get up in the air. Unfortunately, he only managed to hover an inch off the bed, and even that made him a bit tired.

"So, do I just do the same thing to change back?" Johnny asked.

"What do you think?" "Right." Johnny concentrated again, and within a couple seconds, he was back in his human form. "So cool," he said, still grinning.

"I'd say that's enough practice for today," Dracula told him, standing up, "transforming takes energy, and you're not exactly used to it." He remembered when Mavis first learned how to change and fly, she was happy but it also completely wiped her out and she usually slept well into the following night."

"Got it," Johnny replied, "So, when's my next lesson?"

"Lesson?" Dracula repeated, "Oh no, I can't spend all my time teaching you, I have a hotel to run."

"Aw, come on," Johnny said, "You're a great teacher, and can't you just take a half an hour break to help me?"

Drac stared to refuse but then stopped. 'You know he's not going to give up if you say no,' he thought to himself, 'and it's better that you teach him rather than Johnny trying to teach himself and getting hurt.'

"Alright fine," he said, "But I'm not promising it'll be an every night arrangement."

"Thanks Drac!" Johnny said, smiling once again. He was like a kid getting ready how to learn to ride a bike or a teen getting their first driver's permit; He was excited and anxious to get started. "You're awesome!"

"Yeah yeah yeah," Drac said, trying to hide his smile.

"Oh, and Drac?" Dracula turned around. "Could you not tell Mavis about all of this? I want it to be a surprise."

"Alright," Dracula agreed, though he was a bit curious. He figured the moment he left the room, Johnny would run down and tell Mavis what had happened. But, he wasn't going to be nosy about it. As he walked left Johnny's room and continued his patrol, Dracula couldn't help but feel a bit excited himself. He remembered how much fun teaching Mavis how to fly had been, and he did enjoy spending time with Johnny. 'Maybe this will be fun too,' he thought to himself.

()()()()()()()

"Two more laps around the room!"

"What! Drac, come on! You're killing me here!"

The Count rolled his eyes. "Fine, break time." No sooner had he said that, the brown bat stopped his wings and let his body fall onto the soft, cushiony bed.

It had been nearly three weeks since Johnny's flying lessons had started. His first lesson with Dracula had been all about how to fly and the proper way to flap your wings. To most vampires it was just instinct, but Johnny had been a human and had no instinct whatsoever. Because of this, he mostly ended up just flapping his wings up and down quickly, which barely got him off the ground.

It was hard for Dracula to explain, but after a few days Johnny started to get it down. Ever since then, they had been working for half an hour to an hour each day. Even if Johnny was glad that he was getting it, the training was still exhausting.

"My arms are killing me," Johnny mumbled as he - back in his normal form - took a sip from a can of soda.

"Hey, you are the one who wanted to learn quickly," Dracula told him. It had taken Mavis a couple months to build up enough stamina to fly good distances, and it took a few years before she had mastered flying and could fly as fast and far as her father.

"I know, I'm not blaming you," Johnny retorted, "I'm just saying, my arms are killing me. But it's gonna be all worth it."

Dracula smiled slightly. "You are getting better, you managed to get in one more lap than you did yesterday."

"Thanks." The progress was slow, but it was progress nonetheless. As he enjoyed his cold drink, Johnny suddenly got an idea. "You know Drac, we never got to have our race with the tables. And we don't really need the tables now, sooooo."

Dracula raised his eyebrow. "Are you challenging me, boy?" he asked, smirking.

"Maybe," Johnny replied with a shoulder shrug, "if you think you can handle it, Grandpa."

"Oh, okay, you asked for it," Dracula told him, pretending to be offended, "You are going down!"

Johnny just chuckled. "We'll just see about that." A race would be a lot more exciting than just flying around in circles, and now he would have a chance to see what his new set of wings could_ really_ do!

After Johnny finished his drink, he and Drac walked over to the doorway. "Alright, first one to the staircase at end of the hall wins?"

"Sounds good to me," Dracula replied, "Alright, Ready... set...!" A black bat replaced Dracula and managed to shout "Go!" before speeding ahead.

"Hey!" Johnny quickly transformed and followed Drac, who was chuckling. "So, it's gonna be that kind of race, huh? Whatever, I'm still going to kick your butt!"

Both bats were laughing, flying fast and zigzagging down the hall. Johnny didn't even care that he was still behind, he was just having fun. As Dracula turned the corner, Johnny noticed a window that had been left open. "Hey Drac!" Johnny shouted as he flew towards the window, "let's take this race outside!"

But instead of agreeing or following the brown bat, Dracula's smile fell and was replaced with worry. "Wait, Jonathan! Don't-!"

Johnny had already flown outside, barely hearing Dracula's protest, and after a few seconds realized his mistake. First off, he forgot how high up his room was. Johnny was used to having a four or five foot drop, not a four story drop! The drop seemed even longer with his smaller size. If that wasn't enough, it was lightly raining outside with a couple raindrops hitting Johnny's face and causing him to lose focus. So not only was he panicking, he could barely see!

Flapping his wings frantically, Johnny started to fall. "No! Nonono! Come on!" he shouted, flapping even harder and using more and more energy, which made his arms even more tired. Fortunately, just as Johnny was about to plummet, he felt a tight grip on the back of his neck. Looking up, Johnny could see Dracula, still in bat form. He didn't look too happy.

"Tell me," the count said after taking both of them back inside, "When I say 'Wait' or 'Stop', what do you hear?"

"I'm sorry, I know that was pretty stupid," Johnny apologized, lowering his head, "I won't take anymore dumb risks until I know I'm ready."

"Good," Dracula said, though he didn't smile, "We're done practicing for today. Tomorrow, expect extra laps." Johnny held back a protest, he knew it was fair so he only nodded. As Dracula walked away, he had one more comment. "Go dry yourself off, I don't want you catching a cold."

Johnny gave a small smile. "Right, on it." With that, he turned back into a vampire and headed back to his room.

()()()()()()()

"Alright, head back now."

"Okay!" A pair of bats - one black and one brown - flew back to the edge of an open window. It was misty, but not raining. Even so, it was a flying obstacle, but both bats were able to fly through it easily.

"So Drac," Johnny asked, "think I'm ready to fly without you?"

"Well, you've been training for a month, you can fly through rain without too much trouble, and you've pretty much mastered all the basics." He gave Johnny a smile. "What do you think?"

The young man was grinning so much, the count could see his fangs. "Awesome!" He had been waiting for this moment for several months, and now he would enjoy every second of it. He quickly gave Dracula a hug. "Thanks for all the lessons, Drac."

"You're welcome," he replied, briefly returning the hug before the two separated.

"I'll see you later, okay?" Johnny asked.

"Okay." That was all he needed. As Johnny ran towards the elevator that was only a few rooms away, he heard Dracula shout behind him, "Remember, don't fly too high! And no crazy tricks!"

Johnny chuckled. "I won't!"

"Hey, keep it down!" a shrunken head yelled at them.

"Sorry," Johnny said with a sheepish smile before continuing to the elevator. He walked inside, pressed the button he needed, and smiled as the doors closed.

Mavis had just returned to her room after helping out the zombies with the Spring Break crowd. After noticing how stuffy her room was, she turned to open her window but found it was already opened. "Huh," she said as she made sure nothing over by the window was wet. "Looks like the rainy season's finally slowing down."

Mavis smiled as she breathed in the fresh, nighttime air. "Perfect night for flying, huh?" The vampire jumped and turned.

"Johnny?" she said, slightly annoyed. She was used to Johnny surprising or sneaking up behind her, but this time he was nowhere to be found. "Where are you?"

"Up here!" Mavis looked up and saw a small brown bat hanging from her ceiling. Her feelings were quickly replaced with amusement and amazement.

"You learned how to change?" she asked.

"More than that!" Bat Johnny flew down and transformed right in front of her. "I can fly too."

"That's great!" Mavis told him, happy for her fiancee, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I wanted it to be a surprise," he replied, "and since the weather's clearing up, plus I just passed all of your dad's lessons..." He gave Mavis a soft smile. "I thought tonight would be the perfect time to tell you."

Mavis returned the smile. "So, what do you say?" he asked her, "Wanna go for a quick fly around the castle?"

"Maybe," Mavis replied before changing into her bat form. "If you can catch me!"

Johnny happily transformed and followed her. They flew up into the night sky, not too high but just high enough to enjoy the clear sky. All the stars were in view and the moon was shining down like a spotlight. Slowing down, the two bats flew in a circle, following each other and eventually shrinking the circle. Sometimes, one of them would do a quick loop, just to get closer to their flying partner. One time, Mavis surprised him by sneaking up behind and giving him a quick peck on the cheek, giggling as she flew ahead of him.

Weaving in and out, going in circles, just letting the breeze and light air carry them. It was almost like dancing. When they finally met face to face, they didn't hesitate to share a kiss. When they broke apart, Johnny couldn't help but stare at his fiancee. Even in bat form, she was beautiful. Her black fur shone under the moonlight, her pointy ears were cute to him, and her eyes; Her sparkling blue eyes were what really drew him in.

"I really love you," Johnny said finally.

Mavis giggled slightly. "I love you too." After another quick kiss, they continued their 'dance', not knowing they had someone watching.

Dracula smiled as he watched out his bedroom window. A zing was never wrong, and they were no exception. As he continued watching, one of his favorite 'poems' came to him and his mind started to muse.

_Two young bats flew in the night,_

_They had zinged, they knew it was right_

_Their worlds came together, so they could share their lives_

_For a Zing only comes once in your life_

**I know that last bit was pretty corny, but I couldn't resist. I hope you all enjoyed this story, please review. Have a nice day everyone! **


End file.
